Iron support



March 31 1. E. E. ELLISTON 3,

IRON SUPPORT Filed Sept. 1, 1961 United States Patent 3,127,141 [RON SUPPORT i Edward E. Elliston, 2346 McLean, Chicago 47, 11]. Filed Sept. 1, 1961, Ser. No. 135,529

3 Claims. (Cl. 248-117.6)

This invention relates to iron supports and more particularly to supporting devices to be attached to a conventional ironing board to hold aniron spaced from the board when not in use.

It is one of the objects of the inventionto provide an iron support which is permanently attached to a conventional iron board and which is adjustable from a stored position flat against the board to an erected position to support an iron above the board.

Another object is to provide an iron support which is securely latched in its erected position against accidental release but which can easily be released for folding to its stored position.

According to features of the invention, a flat plate is clamped to the ironing board and has a flange at one end formed with a central notch. A hook member has a base portion slidably and rotatably mounted on the plate and an upright supporting portion which is urged into the notch by a spring releasably to latch the hook member in its erected position. When the upright portion of the hook member is released from the notch by pressing it out of the notch, it can be colded flat against the ironing board for storage.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an iron support embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view illustrating mounting of the suport on an ironing board;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged partial section on the line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged section on the line 44 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a bottom view of the iron support.

The iron support as shown comprises a flat plate 11) which may be stiflened and reinforced by side flanges 11 and which has an upwardly extending flange 12 at one end thereof. The upper edge of the flange 12 is bent over into a short horizontal flange 13 and a notch 14 is cut in the flange 12 extending partially into the horizontal flange 13.

The plate is adapted to be secured to an ironing board by clamping means comprising an elongated metal strap 15 extending across the plate adjacent to but spaced from the end flange 12 and formed with a downwardly extending hook 16 at one end. A second similar strap 17 is slidable longitudinally of the strap 15 and is formed at its end with a hook 18. The straps 15 and 17 can be locked in any desired relative position to each other by a clamping screw 19. As best seen in FIGURE 5, the strap 17 is formed with an elongated slot 21 therein through which the clamping screw 19 extends so that when the clamping screw is tightened the two straps will be drawn frictionally together to prevent relative movement therebetween. A guiding projection 22 may be bent from the strap 15 to extend into the slot 21 to hold the straps in alignment.

The plate is adapted to support a hook member formed of a relatively stilt wire and having a base or foot portion 23, an upright shank portion 24 at approximately a right angle to the foot portion and a hook 25 at its free end to receive an iron. The foot portion 23 is adapted to be mounted slidably and rotatably on the plate 10 for which purpose as shown the strap is formed with an 3,127,141 Patented Mar. 31, 1964 offset portion 26 defining with the plate an open ended socket. through which the foot portion extends. .The

. strap may besecured to the plate on opposite sides of the ofifset portion 26-by welding as indicated at 27 or by other desired types of mechanical fastening means. a

The shank portionof the hook member is normally urgedtoward the upright flange 12v andinto the notch *14 to. latch it in an upright position. For this-purpose va short finger 28 is bent up out of the plate 10 with its end pointing toward the adjacent end of the foot-portion 23. Acompression coil spring 29 is fitted over the finger as best seen in FIGURE 4 and engages the end of'the foot portion 23.

The iron support is attached to an ironing board as illustrated in FIGURE Z by first loosening the screw 19 and slipping the hook 16 over one edge of the board. The strap 17 is then slid inward until the book 18 hooks over the opposite edge of the board at which time the screw 19 is tightened to secure the unit firmly in place on the board.

For use the hook member is swung upward as shown in FIGURES 2 and 4 to project substantially vertically above the board and the plate 10. In this position of the hook member the spring 29 will shift the foot portion toward the vertical flange 12 until the lower end of the shank portion 24 fits into the notch 14. As will be apparent from FIGURES 3 and 4, the extension of the notch into the horizontal flange 13 is such that the lower end of the upright portion of the hook member will extend into the notch a distance approximately equal to its radius so that the adjacent portions of the flange 12 will engage it approximately on a diameter. Pressure on the hook member, therefore, has no tendency to slide it out of the notch, and it will remain firmly latched in its upright position.

It will be noted that in this position a pressure exerted on the hook member near its upper end, as indicated by the arrow 31, will not slide the hook member out of the notch. A force applied at this point will tend to tilt the foot portion 23 in its socket so that it will bind and will not siide freely. Therefore, accidental pressure exerted on the hook member at its upper end portion will not release it from the notch. In this position an iron, as indicated in dotted lines at 32, may be hung by its handle on the hook portion 25 to be supported thereby spaced from the ironing board. For use the iron handle may be grasped and lifted from the hook portion.

When it is desired to fold the hook portion for storing the ironing board, pressure may be applied at the lower portion thereof as indicated by the arrow 33 in FIG- URE 4. A pressure at this point will cause the foot portion 23 to slide easily through the socket 26 against the spring 29 until the upright lower end of the supporting portion is free from the notch 14. At this time the hook member can be folded over to a flat position as shown in FIGURE 1 where it will lie substantially fiat against the ironing board. The ironing board may therefore be stored easily without the necessity of removing the iron support therefrom.

The hook member may be held in its stored position by forming a small projecting bump 34 on the flange 12, as shown. When the hook member is folded to its flat stored position, it will snap over this bump and be held yieldingly thereby in that position in the manner of a spring detent.

While one emodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be understood that this is illustrative only and is not intended as a definition of the scope of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An iron support comprising a flat plate adapted to v the notch rotatably and slidably supporting the base portion, and a spring on the plate engaging the hook member and urging it toward the notch whereby when the hook member is at right angles to the plate the support portion thereof will be urged into the notch to latch it and can be moved out of the notch against the spring to fold parallel to the plane of the plate.

2. An iron support comprising a flat plate adapted to rest on an ironing board, an upstanding flange at one end of the plate formed with a central notch therein, a securing strap extending across the plate adjacent to but spaced from the flange and bent to define with the plate .4 an open ended guide socket aligned with the notch, a hook member having a short base portion fitting slidably and rotatably in the socket and a support portion extending from the end of the base portion adjacent to the flange and terminating in a hook to receive and support an iron, and a spring on the plate engaging the base portion and urging it toward the flange thereby to urge the support portion into the notch to latch it in an upright 7 position.

3 The iron support of claim 2 in which the strap is formed at its ends with hook portions to engage opposite edges of an ironing board and secure the plate thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. AN IRON SUPPORT COMPRISING A FLAT PLATE ADAPTED TO REST ON AN IRONING BOARD, MEANS TO CLAMP THE PLATE TO AN IRONING BOARD, AN UPSTANDING FLANGE AT ONE END OF THE PLATE FORMED WITH A CENTRAL NOTCH THEREIN, A HOOK MEMBER HAVING A STRAIGHT BASE PORTION AND AN UPSTANDING SUPPORT PORTION TERMINATING IN A HOOK TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT AN IRON, HORIZONTAL GUIDE MEANS ON THE PLATE ALIGNED WITH THE NOTCH ROTATABLY AND SLIDABLY SUPPORTING THE BASE PORTION, AND A SPRING ON THE PLATE ENGAGING THE HOOK MEMBER AND URGING IT TOWARD THE NOTCH WHEREBY WHEN THE HOOK MEMBER IS AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PLATE THE SUPPORT PORTION THEREOF WILL BE URGED INTO THE NOTCH TO LATCH IT AND CAN BE MOVED OUT OF THE NOTCH AGAINST THE SPRING TO FOLD PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF THE PLATE. 